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Over the past few years, a number of states have implemented new or increased existing out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries in their Medicaid, SCHIP, or other public coverage programs. This brief reviews the key findings from this recent activity, including the impact on enrollment in public coverage programs, access to care, and providers. Issue Paper (.pdf)
Since the mid-1990s the Kaiser Family Foundation has partnered with U.S.-based media companies on comprehensive HIV/AIDS campaigns. This paper, published in Health Affairs, Vol. 24, Issue 3, May/June 2005, outlines the unique public education model that it is using, and how Kaiser is expanding this work globally by working with some of the largest media companies in the world to undertake new initiatives in Russia and India. Health Affairs Article (free access) Abstract Full Article
New Directions for Medicaid Section 1115 Waivers: Policy Implications of Recent Waiver Activity Seventeen states have had comprehensive Section 1115 waivers approved since January 2001. This brief provides an overview of this recent waiver activity and reviews the implications for coverage and access to care. Policy Brief (.pdf)
This brief reviews the issues and the evidence underpinning five broad areas of policy initiatives that flow from recommendations made in the Institute of Medicine's 2002 report, Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Care. Issue Brief (.pdf)
This issue brief examines the 26 new Medicare Advantage PPO regions and their implications for beneficiaries. The paper describes the characteristics of the new Medicare Advantage regions and the extent to which Medicare Advantage plans are already available in each region. It highlights the substantial gap between the current availability of Medicare Advantage health plans, including Medicare HMOs, PPOs and private fee-for-service plans, throughout the country and that intended for 2006. Issue Brief (.pdf)
This report examines the formulary and cost management provisions of the final Medicare regulations implementing the new Medicare Part D drug benefit that was passed as part of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, and their implications for people with Medicare who enroll in new drug plans and their access to medications. It was prepared for the Foundation by Jack Hoadley, Ph.D., of the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University. Issue Brief (.pdf)
This table highlights changes in the appeal and grievance procedures included in the proposed and final regulations implementing the drug benefit. It was prepared for the Foundation by Sara Rosenbaum, J.D., of the George Washington University School of Public Health. Issue Brief (.pdf)
Health Coverage for Low-Income Adults: Eligibility and Enrollment in Medicaid and State Programs, 2002 This policy brief provides new information on the number and characteristics of nonelderly adults eligible for Medicaid and other public coverage and on their enrollment. Because low-income adults often work at jobs that do not offer employer-sponsored coverage and individual coverage is prohibitively expensive for them, their uninsured rates are high. Although Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)…
This document summarizes the final regulations to implement the new Medicare prescription drug benefit. The regulations were published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a final rule in the Jan. 28 Federal Register. It provides an overview that allows interested parties to obtain information about specific provisions of the law. The summary was prepared by Health Policy Alternatives Inc. on behalf of the Kaiser Family Foundation. Issue Brief (.pdf)
Medicaid's Optional Populations: Coverage and Benefits Medicaid reform discussions have often focused around giving states greater flexibility over optional populations and services. This issue brief presents an overview of Medicaid's optional beneficiaries and services and provides examples of who qualifies as "optional" and the services they use. Issue Brief (.pdf)
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